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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Evidence Of Language Prerequisites In Pan: Orofacial-Motor And Breath Control In Chimpanzees And Bonobos, Natalie Schwob
Evidence Of Language Prerequisites In Pan: Orofacial-Motor And Breath Control In Chimpanzees And Bonobos, Natalie Schwob
Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses
Human spoken language requires the concomitant utilization of numerous cognitive and motor skills. Two particularly relevant skills are orofacial-motor control (OFM), the ability to purposefully move one’s facial muscles, and breath control (BC), subglottal air pressure that fuels sound production, as both are necessary in the voluntary production of speech. Many have claimed these competencies are uniquely human qualities without great ape antecedents. However, here we describe both skills in genus Pan, which contains our closest extant relatives: chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus). We hypothesized that OFM and BC would be present in both species of Pan and …
The Adaptive Value Of Complex Socio-Communicative Behavior, Sara A. Skiba
The Adaptive Value Of Complex Socio-Communicative Behavior, Sara A. Skiba
Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses
Human spoken language represents the most elaborate communication system, however the selection pressures leading to its emergence are still uncertain. Unlike humans, bonobos and chimpanzees do not have language. However, bonobos may have been subjected to similar selection pressures as early hominins, subsequent to their phylogenetic split from chimpanzees roughly 1.5 million years ago. The current study investigated the similarities and differences in sociality and communicative production between bonobos and chimpanzees in captive settings, using 9, 10-minute focal follows for each individual. Analyses revealed a significant positive correlation between social proximity score and total communicative signals produced, as well as …